Skip Cairo, Says Egyptian Government

Egypt's tourism industry has been suffering ever since the rebellion that resulted in a massive upheaval of the government. The newest move, however, might surprise even those who have not been brave enough to explore the country in the meantime. Egyptians hoped for change with the Arab Spring uprising, but that change has been a long time coming and even now, three years later, there are still clashes between different forces. Much of the violence has centered around Cairo, the seat of the Egyptian government, and as a result many tourists have sheid away from visiting a country rich in history and artifacts.

The violence should not keep tourists away, and Egypt itself is addressing that concept in their latest marketing campaign. In a bid to recover tourists, the country is touting its magnificence--sans Cairo. Tourism decreased 90 percent last year from 2012 in Egypt, so the country's attempts to recover tourism revenues are essential for the economy. However, it is almost inconceivable to imagine a trip to Egypt without visiting important sights such as the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where mummies of previous pharoahs are housed along with other famous artifacts. The sight tourists would be most likely to miss when skipping Cairo, though, are the famous pyramids at Giza.

Giza is only a short bus or car trip outside the city of Cairo, where most tourists stay while visiting. There are three massive pyramids there, along with the famous sphinx sand sculpture that has stood guard over the pyramids for thousands of years. In order to recover the tourists, though, the government is distancing that famous sight, in close proximity to recent violence, from the other hundreds, if not thousands of historically significant sights in the country, such as the Valley of the Kings or the temples in Aswan and Luxor. Egyptian officials point out that tourists fear that violence is happening across the country; this is not the case. Most of the violence is centered around Cairo, so those who have a fascination with Egyptian history can still safely visit many areas of the country.